and Integrated Pest Management - part - usaid

ECONOMICS OF INTEGRATED PEST CONTROL IN
RICE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
II. Waibel and P. Meenakamit
Thai-Gerina Plait Protection Program
Deparimert of Agricullural Extension
P.O. Box 9.100, ,angkrk 10900, Thailand
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) has been defined as the farmers' "best
mix" of conmrol tactics for any pest problem (Kenmore et al. 1985). Since pest
populations vary over time and space, the "best mix" eventually needs to be
changed from season to season and from location to location. To put this
definition inl)practice, and al tile samc tiroe give an answcr to the question of
"how to mix", one cannot ignore economic considerations. However, it is still
not feasible to derive an optional mix ing procedureCdue to insufficient data even
for irrigatel rice.
In this paoer, we will give an economic assessment of the status of IPM
based on cowlilions in Asian countries, with special emphasis on Thailand. To
approach this topic, we divided pest control measures into two kinds, firstly, the
direct chem ical control measures, which, in the context of IPM, means economic
thresholds or need-based pest control, and secondly, the economic conseqtiences
of lPN-Imd indirect control measures, also referred to as cultural or agronomic
practices.
ECONOMIC TIIRESIIOLIDS
To our knowledge, there is no scientific evidence so far that farmers have
adopted ally ' tile economic threshold levels being recommended by extension
services in Southeast Asian countries. Our experience with training shows that
it is difficult to make farmcrs follow exactly those recommended economic
thresholds. Rather, pesticides are connionly applied at a pest level which is
only 30% of the recommendcd threshold level, on average (TG-PPP 1986).
When discussing the adoption of modern technology, the first and possibly most
important aspect is the tcchnolocy's relative advantage in economic terms.
Results from field trials comparing farmers' practices or prophylactic
treatments with econonic thresholds (ETs) from various sources are presented in
Table 1. The relative adantage of ETs is assessed by using the criteria of
percent increase in net return and percent of sUccCssfLtl cases. The net return of
the ET-echinology generally was fomnd to be higher than that of the farmer's or
prophylact ic treatmenLs (successful cases). In Thailand, for example, based on a
total of' 4 trials in farmers' fields carried out under the surveillance program, the
ET-strategy increased the net return of rice production by 4.2% with 80%
successfl cases (Meenakanit 1985). Similar trials had been carried out in the